The mono-genre theory states that all popular music is coalescing into two big super-genres of country and hip-hop—both of which have basically become blanket terms for white and black music respectively (or rural and urban), to eventually all coagulate into one big mono-genre blob of popular music with styles and influences commingling seamlessly to create the widest possible audience for music products by appealing to the least common denominator. Evidence of this phenomenon, and the deepening of the trend, can be found everywhere throughout popular music, from country acts and songs that integrate hip-hop into their sound dominating country charts, to the death of popular rock and R&B, to a Billy Ray Cyrus remake crashing the hip-hop charts.

The mono-genre isn’t just a problem for country music; it’s a problem for all genres, and the culture that surrounds them. Nobody has spelled this out better recently than the new bandleader for NBC’s Tonight Show, Questlove. As a drummer, DJ, and record producer, Questlove has become a very well-respected member of the music community as both a performer and leader. In a recent essay titled When the People Cheer: How Hip-Hop Failed Black America, he spells out how the dominance of hip-hop in black music has put culture at an extreme disadvantage.

“Hip-hop has taken over black music,” Questlove says. “Look at the music charts, or think of as many pop artists as you can, and see how many of the black ones aren’t part of hip-hop…It wasn’t always that way. Back in the late ’80s, when I graduated high school, you could count the number of black musical artists that weren’t in hip-hop on two hands maybe. You had folksingers like Tracy Chapman, rock bands like Living Colour, pop acts like Lionel Richie, many kinds of soul singers and that doesn’t even contend with megastars like Michael Jackson and Prince, who thwarted any easy categorization. Hip-hop was plenty present…but it was just a piece of the pie.”

Hip-hop went on to become so dominant and influential, it encroached into the rock format in the late 90’s with the rap metal movement, and today hip-hop has just as much influence on poplar country music as country music does. As a hip-hop artist himself, you might think Questlove would be happy about this development. But on the contrary, he sees hip-hop’s dominance bleeding the diversity out of music, rendering it weaker and less meaningful.

“Maybe domination isn’t quite a victory. Maybe everpresence isn’t quite a virtue,” Questlove ponders. “Black culture, which has a long tradition of struggling against (and at the same time, working in close collaboration with) the dominant white culture, has rounded the corner of the 21st century with what looks in one sense like an unequivocal victory. Young America now embraces hip-hop as the signal pop-music genre of its time. So why does that victory feel strange: not exactly hollow, but a little haunted? … Once hip-hop culture is ubiquitous, it is also invisible. Once it’s everywhere, it is nowhere. What once offered resistance to mainstream culture…is now an integral part of the sullen dominant.”

Aside from black music culture offering less choice to music listeners as a result of the domination of hip-hop, Questlove is concerned there could be additional consequences throughout culture. Similar to how hip-hop used to represent poor black people, country music used to represent poor white people. As both artforms have gone pop, they have become the vehicles for escapism for the upper classes, leaving their music meaningless for its core constituents. Financial advisers warn investors to make sure diversity is considered in their portfolios because diversity is what shields something from being susceptible to adverse trends. Hip-hop, or black music, like country, or white music, is now built upon very few styles and influences and artists. Many of the songs and artists sound the same, and that makes the stilts that prop up these big, overloaded super-genres anemic and fragile. “Once all of black music is associated with hip-hop,” says Questlove, “then Those Who Wish to Squelch need only squelch one genre to effectively silence an entire cultural movement.”

One point Questlove made that is open for disagreement is in how hip-hop doesn’t just define music, but a culture, and how hip-hop is singular in that respect. “….that’s what it’s become: an entire cultural movement, packed into one hyphenated adjective. These days, nearly anything fashioned or put forth by black people gets referred to as ‘hip-hop,’ even when the description is a poor or pointless fit….This doesn’t happen with other genres.”

But his point is a perfect example of what is happening in country as well. “Country” isn’t just music anymore; it is offered as a one-stop corporate lifestyle. Artists are endorsing products more and more, launching their own clothing lines, and even Cumulus has talked about getting into the country music furniture, food, and paint business. “…even when the description is a poor or pointless fit” is the perfect way to describe much of the music that has now found a home in country in the aftermath of the implosion of guitar-driven arena rock and other popular versions of music.

Whether it’s country or hip-hop, the death of diversity has left American music in crisis, with potential ramifications that could reach far beyond the musical realm.

32 Comments

Blackwater
April 24, 2014 @
7:23 pm

The worst and best things to happen to music is technology/internet. It used to be that the only way you get a record out is that you bust your ass on the circuit, hope you catch the eye of a record talent executive, and sign a contract to make music. Now, every jack ass can make their own music thanks to cheap music software and accessibility to distribution (Band Camp, Amazon, YouTube, etc).

So what does said jack ass do to convince people to buy their music? Copy the style most popular at the time. This applies to bro-country and hip-hop. More so for hip hop because entire albums can be made on a computer and microphone. Slightly harder with country.

So now you got thousands of so called “artists” watering down the genres making the monotonous sounding music that are turn offs for both hip hop and country fans alike. Now obviously that’s only one part of the problem in the overall scheme but its my belief that if there was no internet yet, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

I do think that the glut of music is a huge problem, and does as much to keep worthy artists who deserve attention down as does anything. Many of these “artists” might be copying styles, but to play Devil’s advocate, it also allows some more creative flexibility.

“the implosion of guitar-driven arena rock and other popular versions of music.”

That, right there, is the essence.

People lament the “carpetbagging” of such artists as Darius Rucker and Sheryl Crow, but really, they’re just doing what is best for their careers. And can anyone blame them? It’s how they earn their living. Where else are they going to go?

As country music and hip-hop are most directly being affected by this mono-genring at the moment, I also see another side of it right now.

I think you wrote about this eventually leading to micro-genres. I don’t know about micro, but I can already see a splintering. There has been a wealth of new music put out recently by hard rock/heavy metal artists. Bands reforming. Long, almost dormant, musicians getting together with others and forming new bands. And it’s not driven by popularity. It’s driven by supply and demand. And VH1Classic’s “That Metal Show” and Eddie Trunk.

I don’t know where terrestrial radio gets its numbers/metrics, but when bands like Rush and Bon Jovi can sell out huge arenas around the world with a three hour show and no opening act, then there is some segment of the audience that is not being served. And it’s a segment with disposable income, because those tickets are not cheap.

I guess you can always play to the lowest common denominator, but that will come back to haunt you. I don’t know much about hip-hop, but that’s where mainstream country is right now. And it’s not going to be pretty when it all crashes down.

The formation of micro-genres is paralleling the formation of the mono-genre—or at least that’s what the theory states. As popular music gets bigger and bigger, independent music gets smaller and smaller. As popular music begins to all sound the same, independent music becomes more specialized. I think we’re seeing a lot of that occurring as well, though certain sectors of independent music are seeing good growth.

See my reply to Don on micro-genres — probably should have been posted here instead. I think a lot of this is a matter of perspective. I don’t know and don’t care what’s popular with the Sonic Drive-In Crowd. From my perspective hip-hop, country, and metal are all fairly healthy. I’m going to Austin Texas with my wife next week and in addition to Dale Watson, Rosie and the Ramblers, we’ll planning to see at least one punk band, some metal if I can find it, and I’m sure we’ll stumble across some decent live hip-hop as well.

Sure, pop music sucks, and that goes without saying. But there’s no music trend that happens in an isolated bubble. As Questlove points out, support of music that is diversified, or that’s not at the very top of the music food chain, is drying up. This very much can effect your favorite bands in the independent realm. What supported startup bands back in the day was albels, and managers looking for artists on the cutting edge that could possibly become the next big thing. Even if these bands did not become the next big thing, they received support from the industry in regards to capital to record, support for touring, and help with the business side of music. Today, none of that exists for these artists. Though some still have figured out how to do very well, others are floundering. Every week I’m reading about independent bands going on an indefinite hiatus. What Questlove is saying is that the support for music should be spread out more to a more diversified field. I can’t disagree with that.

I disagree. What was the last big heavy metal band that got launched into the mainstream like Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Tool, and others did back in the 80’s and 90’s? Sure, those bands can still be very successful touring and get many people to buy their records, but they’re legacy acts at this point. There are a ton of bands at the club level doing quite well in heavy metal with lots of support. But those bands aren’t launching into the mainstream and receiving widespread radio play. Why? Because they’re not country or hip-hop, or Imagine Dragons.

I guess it depends on what you’re tying to accomplish. There will never be another Metallica, if that’s your definition of success. But there are tons and tons of metal bands touring, packing clubs, selling tee-shirts, cds and vinyl direct to consumers. I agree with what you said above about how it would be nice if more independent bands achieved mainstream success, because so many of the best performers still tend bar or wait tables to make a living and metal bands break up all the time when people decide to have families, or whatnot. But just because a genre doesn’t produce top forty hits doesn’t mean it’s in trouble.

There are a ton of bands at the club level doing quite well in heavy metal with lots of support. But those bands aren”™t launching into the mainstream and receiving widespread radio play.

If the first sentence of the above-quoted statement is true (and it is), then what does it matter if the second sentence is true? Modern rock radio is deader than a doornail and has been for years now. One example that stands out for me to illustrate this: Driving back into San Antonio from Houston not quite a year ago, we had the radio on San Antonio’s “modern rock” station, 99.5 KISS. The deejay was talking about the reunited Soundgarden and mentioned the band”™s new album King Animal”¦right before they launched into “Black Hole Sun.” Their playlist by and large comprises 15- to 20-year-old music from Nirvana, Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots and the like. Nothing wrong with that if that’s your bag, of course, and of course that’s just one radio station, but I don’t think it’s an isolated example based on what I’ve read elsewhere.

The point: Does it really matter that radio’s not playing new music if the acts are being supported to the point that they don’t have to apply for the greeter positions at Walmart? I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

I agree. Most of the artists I support are doing fairly well. Many of the ones who aren’t, I think, suck at the business of music and don’t have merchandise, etc for sale.

The great thing about the internet is I can discover a folk metal band from slovenia, find their bandcamp site, and pay them 5 euro’s for their EP. How else would a slovenian folk metal band attract paying customers from Massachusetts? (http://brezno.bandcamp.com/ if you are interested)

I was only trying to make the point that you can argue that heavy metal is not doing better of or “evolving” (sales wise) compared to where it was in previous decades. Questlove’s assertion is that all black popular music now is hip-hop, and my assertion is all white popular music is country. Sure there’s some great new heavy metal bands doing good at the club level, but in the late 80’s, early 90’s, Metallica and Slayer were selling out stadiums. Metallica is still selling out stadium, but none of the new metal bands can even break into arenas. Now if they don’t care to, that’s their prerogative. But nonetheless, it is a symptom that anything that isn’t hip-hop or country is not contending for mainstream attention, and your anecdote about the radio station is a perfect example of that. You can’t tell me there’s not some great mainstream rock bands out there that should be on the radio. The Delta Spirit, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. Years ago these guys were getting radio play. Today, they get pushed off for 20-year-old nostalgia.

I think that rock is going (or already has gone) the way of jazz and classical: a niche genre with a small number of intense fans, but no longer commercially widespread. Rock is basically the preferred genre of the Boomers and Gen Xers, just as jazz was/is for the Greatest Generation and the early Silent Generation.

Guitar-driven rock music is all over the airwaves right now. It’s just not packaged as rock. It’s packaged as country. But it’s even more prevalent in the live shows.

I’ve been watching the Stagecoach festival on AXStv. The bands behind Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett and Eric Paslay (and that’s just on day one) are nothing short of rock bands. Great musicians. That’s where the money is right now. In another era, these guys would be in garage bands, trying to make. But why do that when you can shred on guitar, beat the hell out of the drums, etc. and get payed well backing up a “country” artist?

Very good point, Michael. The reason I originally became a country fan about 4 years ago was because mainstream country (back then in the pre-bro era) consisted of the soft rock music that could not be found anywhere on modern pop radio.

This is not the first time that country music has preserved a style of music that had already faded from the pop scene. The Nashville sound of the 60s and early 70s was fundamentally based on the idea of incorporating sounds resembling jazz and classical in an era when rock and roll had attained domination in pop music.

“As popular music begins to all sound the same, independent music becomes more specialized.”
I think that is one of the most exciting elements of the whole thing. As these unique musical traditions become more insulated it creates the possibility of distinct regional and cultural dialects springing up once again. These in turn will provide the soil from which new musical traditions will begin to grow and cross pollinate. As Questlove, the more a thing is everywhere it begins to lose definition and becomes so ubiquitous that no one notices. When the mono-genre finally collapses and implodes under its own weight it will be very interesting to watch all the things that begin to spring forth in the aftermath.

By regional and cultural dialects, I mean “musical dialects”. Television and radio have done a damned fine job of destroying linguistic dialects. For instance, the whole valley girl upspeak of Southern California seems to have become the accepted dialect of women the nation over.

The mono-genre very well may get so big it implodes, either from its own weight, or because it lacks diversity like Questlove said. But I’m not sure I want to hedge my bets on that happening just yet. I remember a few years ago, everybody placed their bets on the mainstream, major label music industry completely folding and imploding in a manner of years. EMI was bankrupt, and labels were hemorrhaging money, and they looked to have no future. Then they figured out the digital thing, started to figure out how to make more revenue off of songwriting royalties, touring and festivals and such, and all of a sudden, they pulled out of the tailspin. They still have a LOT of challenges, but nobody is talking now about the recording industry drying up like they were in 2010.

I dunno. It is very easy to go all Fox News, project a trend assuming no future constraints, and predict disastrous results.

Then again, I haven’t been able to find anything to listen to on 12 radio stations for the past four 25 minute commutes. Steve Miller Band, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi for the ten bazillionth time on the ‘rock’ stations; ‘Cop Car’, ‘Bottoms Up’, and ‘Give Me Back My Hometown’ for the 20 bazillionth time on the ‘country’ stations. And that’s the ‘good’ stuff.

Someone/something in the future will rise up to save us . . .?

“Our Hero returns to Resistance headquarters where they have discovered a radio frequency capable of shutting down the Big Machine. They launch an offensive against the Machine, hoping to stop the mind control radio frequencies that enslave humanity. Our Hero sends anti-mind control radio broadcasts to Resistance members and surviving civilians around the world.

Out in the ruins the survivors hear the radio broadcast. They are inspired to battle the Machine. They override the mind control link, succeeding in destroying the Machine’s connection. Mankind rejoices. Our hero radios to the other Resistance fighters that though this battle has been won, the war is far from over.”

After posting this, I headed home for the day. The first preset button I hit was Cop Car. The second preset button I hit was Bottoms Up. The third preset button I hit was Give Me Back My Hometown. Swear to God.

I’ve been a long time listener of hip hop, since the 80’s, and have listened to country music even longer. This sentiment has permeated through hip hop for many years.
I have been saying this exact same thing for many years…that the same thing is happening in country music.
Its not an “attack” on black music.
Its an “attack” on all music.
Thank you for writing this article, other than myself, I have yet to see anyone else offer this opinion/info.
Cheers